Recommended listening: The Mystic's Dream II by Loreena McKennitt
My Angel
Chapter 18
"Your Honor, may I request to redirect the defendant?" Diego's strong, clear voice broke the intense silence.
Velken was positively seething and Hisoka's narrow emerald gaze was making him shift uncomfortably on the spot. Diego inwardly endorsed to the empath. The fact that Hisoka could make Velken shift as much as he was – shifting at all, really – was truly amazing. The empath's fight was back within him, in his blood. He was not the broken angel who had left after the recess; he was the Angel of Archery, with a cold fire in his eyes that unleashed torrents of words with one glance and strength beyond belief. The wings of the empath were back to their deep blood red, reflecting his ire with each pulse of his heart, brightening the color in his wings before dulling once more. It was truly amazing.
Kira turned her eyes on Diego and gave a brief nod. This trial had been going on longer than expected. Kira thought the same thing as every angel in the room while trying not to believe it: He's buying time. The trial should've ended already, despite the recess that she had granted, but it hadn't and that was the odd thing. Normally sodomites would've been cast out from Heaven by this time without trial. Yet, the trial in itself was strange, considering the fact that the empath had been pardoned, something that was originally prohibited in Heaven (to put one person above another)... and at the same time, it was getting stranger by the minute.
"You may proceed," Kira finally said, watching as Hisoka took that as his cue to return to the stand. He folded his wings as he sat, knowing that not only was this was the last cross-examination, but it was also his last chance to put in his input and his beliefs before the final verdict. He had his chance now. He needed to take it.
The teenager's green eyes flickered over to Velken for a split second, watching as the angel seemed to mumble to himself and return the old case records and the empath's medical records to another who, who then took them out of the room. Hisoka breathed a sigh of relief. Thank God. He was somewhat safe... somewhat.
Diego stood up and the emerald eyes returned to their long-known friend, awaiting the new questions. Diego paced once, walking from his table, up to Hisoka, to the jury seats, and then back to the table. Then, as if something had hit him, he turned around. "Hisoka, what were you feeling when you took on Tsuzuki Asato as your client in the beginning?"
Hisoka blinked. The question was completely random! Why was he asking that? "I felt angry. And sad."
Diego frowned. "And why was that?"
"Because..." the empath hesitated. Did he honestly have to say? Did he have to expose it to the courtroom? There had to be a way around the question. He knew Diego was trying to help him, but Hisoka had always found ways to dodge things on his own. This was no different, right? "Because the same man who had raped and murdered me was going after others. I was angry with that man. And I was sad... sad because Tsuzuki may have been only one out of the many who could be hurt by this man's hand. And after what happened to me, I never wanted to see the murderer see the light of day ever again." There was a small hint of a smile on Diego's face before it vanished, but that small hint gave Hisoka a new burst of courage. "And I also felt discouraged... Because I thought I would fail."
Diego shifted for a moment, as if thinking again. Velken was glaring at Hisoka and the empath just glared right back. Velken turned his eyes away and Hisoka returned his gaze to Diego as he spoke again.
"So how would you say these feelings developed, this love for Tsuzuki?"
Hisoka felt his face heat up. Oh, so that's where Diego was going... it wasn't out of spite, but in understanding. Hisoka glanced off for a moment, thinking hard for a moment before attempting to reply. "I'm not sure. I had been with him longer than any of my other clients, so I got to understand him more. I know his strengths and his weaknesses; you don't have to give me charts for those..." He was babbling. He had to answer the question up front right now. "It was, I think, because he was so much like me."
Diego looked as if he were going to continue that question, but thought better of it and just nodded. "Thank you." He sat down and Hisoka knew the hardest part was coming. He could feel the enraged aura rolling off Velken in waves. He'd never felt so much anger before. He bit his lip so he wouldn't shiver as the angel stood, looking down at his notepad, which had notes, yes, but they were torn up, most likely in anger. "Kurosaki-kun..."
"Hai?" It was only natural to respond.
"How is Tsuzuki so much like you?" The icy blue eyes were on him, unfeeling and empty, as if unseeing as well.
Hisoka frowned, a slightly confused look on his face. "He and I share some similar qualities—"
"State them."
Kira glanced over. "Rephrase in the form of a question, Velken."
Velken calmed down enough to be able to abide by the judge's order. "Can you state some qualities on how you are, in your words, "so much alike" with your client?"
Now Hisoka began to feel the fear rise up within him again, the fear that had nearly consumed him before recess, the fear that he was afraid of most in this courtroom, on this stand, facing an angel who looked as if he'd murder him. "He and I were both hated by our families and have very few friends... we've known loneliness and we both—"
"Are demons?" Velken interrupted, wings twitching and eyes narrowed.
Hisoka's eyes widened at the sudden accusation and murmurs began to spread through the courthouse immediately. Kira banged her gavel and the courthouse went silent again. Hisoka's green eyes stared in shock at Velken and Diego had stood up, ready to make objection at any second should he hear anything that would be illogical. The jurors were silent, as always had been throughout the trial, their settled their eyes on Velken before turning to Hisoka, who just sat there, as if unable to speak.
Velken walked over to the stand, raising a fine eyebrow and it was clear on his face that he was amused by the sudden change in the empath's attitude, from determined to shock into silence. "Well, Kurosaki-kun? You said that you and he share some qualities. How do we know you're not a demon as he is?"
Hisoka nearly crossed the border, the restraint that held him back from jumping up and attacking Velken on the spot. He kept down, his wings pulsing quickly as his wings changed from the dull red into an alarming orange-red. Velken seemed pleased with the reaction. He was waiting for an answer.
Diego finally spoke. "I object to that question, Your Honor. He took the defendant's words too literally."
"Have I, Diego?" Velken turned to face the Angel of Life before glancing back to the Angel of Archery. "But am I not wrong?"
Hisoka felt it then. A burning raging fire was building up inside him, but it was nothing like his fire. His fire, colored blue and green, burning cold to anyone who dare oppose him was different from this fire. This fire was almost hellish, a fiery red glow revealing itself under his clothes. Hisoka grit his teeth. He couldn't believe his curse was acting up at this time, no less. And God, it burned... burned so badly...
"What does one call that?" Velken pointed to Hisoka as a red glow shone underneath his clothes.
Kira banged her gavel. "Enough, Velken. Sustain yourself. Kurosaki has a—"
Hisoka shook his head, finally regaining the movements of his body. "No. I am not a demon. And neither is he..."
"He's registered as one," Velken replied. "So how is he not a demon?"
"He isn't!" Hisoka half-shouted, his green eyes while misty were carrying defiance. His wings burned their deep red again, but now they mixed in with purple and blue, creating a cold fire that flickered green at angles. "If you met him, you would not find anything demonic about him. He's always cheerful, protective, innocent in his own way, goofy, and a pain to take care of... but not a demon. I have been protecting him from the same man who murdered me and risked my second life for his."
"But those are your feelings that caused your sodomy, are they not?!" Velken seemed to get angry again. Both of the angels' voices were escalating and all everyone felt they should do was sit back and watch.
"If you call it that, fine," Hisoka replied. 'I've had enough... there's only one way...' Bravely, for the first time in his life, Hisoka pulled the collar of his robe and exposed his collarbone and upper chest briefly to the court of hundreds of angels, to the jurors, to the judge, and even to Diego, someone he swore to never show... Gone was the hesitance. This was his last chance. "This is what was done to be by my murderer. Do you think I would consider myself an angel if I sat back and watched it happen to Tsuzuki? Even if it was just duty, I would've saved him from this anyway, would've risked my second life for his even if I didn't have these feelings. He doesn't deserve it; no one deserves this to happen to them. I do not wish it upon anyone!"
Hisoka took in a deep breath. "I spent three agonizing years in the hospital thanks to this curse, writhing in pain when awake, dulled crying when I was asleep – sleep, which did not even help me forget what had been done to me, even if for just a moment. I was never given any courtesy by my parents; no one seemed to care. Why would I ever sit back and watch this happen to anyone?"
Velken did not reply. Hisoka took that as his sign to continue. He replaced his robe on properly, covering up his still burning marks. For some reason, they were not as hot as they had been. He wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing, but up to this point, he didn't care. "It is true that Tsuzuki is listed as a demon on the list, and so be it. But he is still my client and it is my duty to protect him. Even if I didn't have these feelings, I would still protect him, wouldn't I? God gave me this duty. Do you think I would disobey Him?"
Hisoka glanced off again, taking one quick look around the room as everyone had surprise written on their faces. "While you may call me crazy for my curse which will not fade or an idiot for being blinded by what many would call "satanic virtues", I am here, on this stand, telling all of you things I would prefer to never speak of if I could help it, and about to be judged for breaking one of God's laws. However, before I am judged, I am going to say many things. And then I shall be silent."
No one dared to open his or her mouth. It was dead silent once more. Hisoka took in a shuddering breath. "This trial for me has been nothing more than a test of wills, to see whether I would show some indication that I didn't know what I was doing or that I was ignorant and must be punished for it. Or even that I had some mental illness. As an empath, I've experienced more things in this courtroom in the past two earth days than five years without it. I can feel all of your disgust, your thoughts to cast me away, and I am here to say that it both saddens and sickens me."
Diego's eyes widened. Hisoka was going to go over the edge if he didn't stop. He was crossing the line where he would be caught between a rock and a hard place – in this case, an almost definite "guilty" would be placed on his head. But before Diego could say anything, Hisoka continued. "It saddens me because I have been pushed away all my life and you may think me childish for saying that I want you all to accept me, but I know that will not happen. But it also sickens me because I do not know how any of us can call ourselves true angels if we turn away at everything that isn't perfect or that defies a law of either God or Satan. I do not truly wish to go against the laws of God and I am ashamed I have, but at that moment in time, that one time when someone on Earth truly accepted me – all of me – without hesitation, without thinking. Just that acceptance was able to fill me with emotions that healed me more than hurt me."
Velken seemed to regain his composure. "But they could have been echoes of your client's emotions that influenced you and caused you to walk down the path of sin—"
Hisoka turned his gaze to the angel, emerald eyes once more ablaze. "And this trial, Velken, as far as I'm concerned, has been about me and how I broke God's law, not what Tsuzuki has done to me. You were the one who dared to try to call me a whore in this place."
"I said no such thing!" Velken shouted, feigning surprise, which was transparent to everyone in the room now.
"Is it not true you tried to bring in past cases in hopes I would admit to some sexual act with them and therefore not only be a sodomite, but also unfaithful to what would've been, in your eyes, another 'lover'?" Gone was Hisoka's embarrassment at his words, gone was his hesitance, gone was his fear. His eyes burned.
"Err..." Velken was at a loss again, but his eyes were getting colder.
Hisoka sighed. "I will not bore you with a long speech, since by now you all may think I am completely, without a doubt, guilty... but I will say this. God not only placed me on Earth to guard Tsuzuki, to keep him from unleashing his inner power and protect him from Muraki's hands, but I was also put there to find a small bit of happiness that I never found in my previous life; the duty was not only for Tsuzuki but also for me. If you stops to think, you may wonder why these strings of events are aligned as what humans would call... a mere coincidence."
Everyone knew there was no such thing as coincidence.
So then, Hisoka closed his mouth and waited. No one moved. No one spoke. Velken looked almost livid by now and Hisoka gave him an even gaze. He wasn't afraid anymore. Velken growled and muttered just low enough to only Hisoka could hear, "You're now going to be found dead guilty now, little empath..."
Hisoka watched as Velken returned to his seat and Kira looked around the room. Diego shook his head, saying he had no words. He had a small bit of fear inside him because of Hisoka's works, but the last sentence had caught his attention. If it wasn't a mere coincidence, then that would've meant that this entire trial was fake. But how could that be...? It just couldn't be...
"Would the jury members please go into the next room to discuss the verdict during a one hour period?" Kira asked and the jurors, one by one, stood and left. The judge turned to Hisoka, who looked not like the wide-eyed confident angel, but now more so a tired teenager. His wings were no longer of fire, but now a dull purple. He was indeed tired. This second recess would help. Kira banged her gavel. "There is a one hour recess. Return within the hour to hear the verdict."
Hisoka let out a tired sigh and stood up, finding it hard to, as his knees shook slightly with the sudden jolt. Diego walked over to his side with a look of utter disbelief on his face and he supported Hisoka off the stand. Kira walked up to them and looked down at the empath. Leaning down slightly, she kept a straight face, but her words were laced with emotion. "What you said has really touched me, Kurosaki-kun. I hope they do not find you guilty of which you are accused."
Then she left, just like that. Hisoka had to blink a few times because, tired as he was, he hadn't been able to register what she had said behind her words. Then he sighed again and straightened. He flinched when he felt an increase in aura level as people were filing out of the room. He risked glancing over at the table parallel to theirs and could clearly see Velken's aura surrounding him like flames up from the depths of Hell. Hisoka shivered.
Suddenly, and before the empath knew it, his cheek was stinging and he was flying backwards into the defendant's stand. He crashed into the stand with full force and let out a sharp cry as his wings folded beyond their limits. There was a sickening crack as one of the bones in Hisoka's right wing broke immediately upon impact. 'Shimatta!'
Hisoka struggled to move to stand up again, glaring at Velken who had his wings unfolded, stretched out and now completely black. Hisoka's eyes widened. There was no mistaking it now.
Velken was a demon.
A demon in an angel's guise.
A demon after his soul.
A/N: Please note that I didn't do this trial correctly. I didn't do the arraignment because that would've taken too much time, it was boring, and we all know Hisoka would've pleaded "not guilty", right? I also bent the rules of this trial because it was the only way I could've fit the plot in. I'm sorry Hisoka talks so much here, but he's had all of this bottled up inside him... there has to be a way for him to get it out, right? I hope to update again soon, though that may be unlikely...
